30Dec

There are basically three times: The Past. The Present. The Future.

Most people live in the first choice and the third choice. I am either worried about what happened or freaked out by what will happen. Neither of those times are real. The only time you have is The Present.

Satisfaction ONLY exists in the present. Learn to love the now and you will be a better safety person, a better reliability person, a better person.

For 2016, I challenge you to live in the present. Thanks for listening. You make the podcast go!

26Dec

In It Should Never Happen Again, Dr Mike Lauder questions the value of public inquiries. Every day, we hear about another inquiry being set up, or why the last one failed to deliver the hoped for outcomes. A great deal of time and taxpayers’ money is spent on inquiries and even more on implementing their recommendations, but the author suggests that those conducting inquiries might be considered (by their own test) criminally negligent in the way they do so and that it is no surprise that they do not lead to the learning they should.The focus of Mike Lauder’s research is the gaps between what is known, what knowledge is used by practitioners and those who judge them. He contends that the difference between the judicial perspective and that of practitioners who are judged by the inquiry process creates barriers that impede others from learning. Crucially, inquiry outcomes do not assist the leadership of organisations to improve risk governance. It Should Never Happen Again is based on research into high profile public inquiries and presidential commissions in the UK, the USA, Continental Europe, and elsewhere. Embracing issues ranging from terrorist attacks to pollution, fire and air disasters; criminal cases; banking and bribery scandals; and the state of public services, Mike Lauder contrasts the judicial perspective of those who inquire, the academic perspective of those who know and the practical perspective of those who are required to act, and offers new models for understanding risk and its governance.

23Dec

An Audio Christmas Card that was made just for you!

Thanks for listening to the podcast. You have made this an amazing year. I never imagined this many people would be interested in seeing safety differently. I am sure glad you are a part of this podcast. Lives are saved and the complex world in which we live has a tiny bit more capacity to fail safely. Thanks!

19Dec

Safety Podcast, New View Safety, High Reliability, Human Performance, and Applied Safety from the Sharp End.

This is Frank Dunlap. Frank is a safety guy, hard hat, steel toes, extra pair of safety glasses, messy office he is never in, Frank is a safety guy. The only difference is that Frank started his company on a journey towards the new view.

I asked Frank to be on this episode just so we could all hear what life is like on the sharp end of the stick for real-life safety. He did a fine job telling me all about his life. I know you will learn much from what Frank has to say. Sit back and enjoy the world from the working end.

16Dec

We are involved in a change! We are helping our organizations change the way these organizations view workers. Where once we saw obedience - we now see creativity. Where once we saw process users - we now are seeing process owners. Where once we wanted strong backs and dumb minds - now we need strong minds and strong leadership.

There is no doubt that the way workers are seen is changing. You can help lead that change in your own organization. Thanks for making the podcast the fast growing safety podcast on Earth. You make the podcast go!!!!

12Dec

Please welcome back Tania Palmer and Megan Curry - Safety leaders and thought guides for organizational change at Contact Energy - New Zealand. This podcast is an update and an opportunity for Megan and Tania to talk about what they are doing, how they are doing it, and what it means for their company and the Senior Leadership - leading a new safety effort for their company.

This podcast episode was recorded around a table in Queenstown, NZ. Sometimes it is just fun to have no agenda, no proposed outcomes, no pressure...and that is just what this conversation was about. We just talked about what we are learning, all of us, and we had a great time doing it. Enjoy - we sure did!

Thanks for listening to the podcast. You make the podcast go!!! Seriously, you make it go...just not sure where,,,

9Dec

Welcome Bill Rigot back to talk about the importance of meetings. Meetings are the thing we do before we actually get to do work. You know them, you love (or hate) them, you have them, and they have us....

Bill talks about his ideas for making this time better for everyone involved. Listen to Bill's ideas and see what you think.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. Without you this whole thing would be a bit stupid. With you these podcasts are a chance to build community and have conversation. You make the podcast go. Thanks!

5Dec

There is a new book in town.... and it is a good one. Beyond Blame is a story about how one organization had to move past the old ways of viewing the world and start looking at new ways to learn and improve.

This podcast is a crossover between DevOps, High Reliability Computing, Safety, Human Performance, Operations, and pretty much any other process that is too risky to leave alone and too valuable to fail. I love the fact that our worlds are colliding and combining. You will really like this podcast no matter which world you operate within...he says, ending a sentence with a preposition.

Dave Zwieback has been working with complex, mission-critical I.T. services and teams for two decades. His career spans small high-tech startups, non-profits, and behemoth engineering, financial services, and pharmaceutical firms. He is involved in the AWSOME POSTMORTEMS workshops!. Almost everything about Dave is cool. Listen and find out more. Thanks for being a part of the podcast. You make the podcast go!!!

2Dec

Whatever you call it...Our jobs are to try and predict the future. It is very hard to predict the future. It is easy, however, to predict the past...and our organizations tend to want to spend time and resources predicting events that have already happened. Needless to say (yet I will still say it) prediction of events that have happened is a waste of time.

Everything is obvious after it has happened.

This safety moment gently reminds us during difficult times that our job is to be much more aware of how successful processes are completed. It is in our understanding of good work that we learn of the potential for bad outcomes. Stop rehashing what should have happened and start talking about what capacity we have to manage the failure that is not as obvious...the failure that has yet to happen. Thanks for listening. You guys rock!!!